Chocolate is a highly desirable confection product which has unique texture and flavor release properties in the mouth which are attributable to the fat component of chocolate. Cocoa butter, the fat component of chocolate, has a narrow melting range just slightly below body temperature. Accordingly, the flavor release and desirable organoleptic sensations of chocolate occur rapidly as the chocolate melts in the mouth.
The process for the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa is identical up to the point when chocolate liquor is expressed from the crushed, roasted nibs. At this point, part of the cocoa butter is removed from some of the cocoa liquor to produce cocoa and the removed cocoa butter is added to other chocolate liquor, which in turn, becomes the bitter chocolate known as baking chocolate.
In the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa, cocoa beans are first subjected to fermentation and roasting prior to removing the shell from the nib through winnowing. The roasted nibs are ground at a temperature above the melting point of the cocoa butter constituent (93.degree. F.-95.degree. F.) to produce a dark brown liquid called liquor, mass, or unsweetened chocolate. To manufacture cocoa powder, liquor is subjected to hydraulic pressing, which separates some of the cocoa butter from the solid cocoa mass. Commercial cocoa powders may have a residual cocoa butter content of 10-22%. Dark, bitter or sweet chocolate is manufactured from liquor, sugar and added cocoa butter, the cocoa butter being obtained from cocoa powder manufacture. Milk chocolate is made from liquor, sugar, milk solids and cocoa butter. The milk solids are derived from liquid milk, usually by a spray drying process. Another milk product often used, called milk crumb, is prepared by concentrating and drying liquid milk in the presence of sugar and liquor. The mixture of chocolate components is then subjected to refining, conching and tempering steps to produce the chocolate product having from about 30% to about 34% cocoa butter. Chocolate is a fat (cocoa butter) continuous matrix with embedded particles of cocoa).
Due to the recent dietary emphasis in reducing the intake of saturated fats in the diet, it would be highly desirable to produce a confection product having reduced levels of fat which retains the unique organoleptic and mouthfeel properties of chocolate, due to the melting properties of cocoa butter.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a chocolate product having less than about 15% fat.